Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1887-04-01


pick him up in Algeria. So Green was
half right. But he shows the African
distinctly. It's enough to look at his
wool. Hard to get the kink out of that"
A chair scraped behind them; some one
walked away quickly. Marion turned
as quickly, with an uncomfortable mis-
giving. She laid her hand on her brothers
arm as the person who had been their I'M
seen neighbor passed under a light on
reaching the esplanade.
"Oh, by George, I'm sorry for thatr'
Robert cried. Its the fellow himself
By George, l am sorry! But there's no
help for it. There's nothing to be done.
l couldn't eat my words"
"How awfully sad!' sighed Marion.
"Oh, how awfully sad It's like being
under a curse or a doom, or being
pariah or leper. Oh, isn't it,
mo, not exactly" Robert answered.
prosaically. "But it's pretty rough. Yes,
it is"
The next morning the guests at the
hotel were greatly shocked to hear that
the beautiful old bishop had died sud-
denly in the night Heart disease. His
long, sanity life had been closed by "a
|
egraphed to England for directions from
the bishops friends In accordance with
these he left Immediately for Baltimore,
whence the remains would be forwarded
to Liverpool In reply to friendly in
quiries he stated that he would not go to
England himself. Poor soul, he could
not. He was left penniless by this sud
den stroke. Thus it CHANGED that within
twenty-four hours after crossing their
path he drifted beyond the horizon of the
Derbys.
In course of time Robert went back to
his post triumphant. engaged. He would
be promoted to his first lieutenancy within
year, when he would come east again
and claim his bride. Meantime his sister
would keep house for hin-her first eff
fort at housekeeping she was barely out
of school.
Robert and Marion had been a week at
Fort Cameron when. one afternoon. some
fresh troops arrived from point further
east. The Derbys were on horseback, a
stones throw from the fort, when these
men marched in. Two other officers
were of the riding party, and Marion was
all animation and gayety as she sauntered
|
the dusty soldiers; neither she nor Robert
recognized one of them. But Biissaye
knew the brother and sister in a moment.
He would never forget Marion's lovely
face until he ceased to breathe. He
looked at her, gasped, staggered as
though he had received blow in the
face, pulled himself together, and tramped
on. But in that flash he had decided
that Cameron was no place for him.
Apart from the torture that it would be
to see Marion constantly, there was an
other reason. In spite OF the distinct
evidence of his African descent to Robert
Derby keen vision, he had enlisted with
out difficulty as a white man. He had
taken this means of coming west; he had
hoped to get away from any one who
knew of his antecedents thus. and after
he had served out his time in the army.
to strike out for himself in some business
in one of the growing frontier towns.
He had a good deal of pluck and cour-
age. hut fate seemed to have declared
against him the day he arrived at Cam
eron. There is brand on my fore
head, he groaned to himself as he tossed
that night on his narrow bed But he
definitely made up his mind that he
could not and would not stay on in
place where at any moment his accused
race might he thrown i'll his teeth.
The next night the adjutant raped up
Robert Derby with an order from the
commanding officer He was to take
charge of a party of cavalrymen to go
out in search of a man who had deserted
within an hour. The party must get off
at daybreak.
you won't shoot him. Marion in
CURED anXiously, when she heard the
news. "Who is it, private Lyons,
of Company b, which lefthe not much
the wiser. Robert commended her to
the good offices of Capt. Sterne's wife,
who lived next door, and rode away at
dawn.
1t was a long days search along the
circuitous course of the Yellowstone.
The theory was that the deserter had
taken refuge in one of the many Indian
camps near the river banks The Indians
We're given to good turns of this kind
But tepee after tepee was ransacked with
out success.
Il believe he struck across country,
after all, y Robert said to himself. Poor
devil. wonder if he knows how easy it is
to get lost on these plains:"
He was standing at the entrance of a
tepee as he made this reflection. Near
by was seated Il coal black negro in Indian
attire. BLACK white man, grunted a
young buck at his elbow. Robert nod
ded; it was usual thing for negroes to
become domesticated in Indian camps as
he was aware, where they We're both
popular and looked up to.
The end of the expedition was a stage
ranch forty miles from the fort. No news
here of the deserter. 1t was useless to
go farther, and the party settled down
for the night in such quarters as the
place offered. Robert fell heir to the
doubtful hospitality of the one bed, inno-
cent of sheets. AS he settled down be-
tween the gray blankets he doubted
whether he were better or worse off than
the wife of friend of his who, travelling
that way, rashly inquired of the ranch
man whether the sheets then on the bed